12/27/2023 0 Comments John knoll star wars![]() But there's something else that's interesting about him, especially if you're a photographer or graphic designer. He's the guy who in 1987 cocreated Photoshop, the software package that has become a digital industry standard and essential tool for creating and changing images. Soft-spoken and modest in conversation, Knoll would be accomplished enough with his visual-effects credits in movies alone. Ordinary citizens are the ones who have to step up and show their heroism.” The Photoshop connection “It’s before Obi-Wan comes back and Yoda reappears. “This is a time after 'Episode III' and the purge of the Jedi where all the remaining Jedi have gone into hiding,” says Knoll in the film's production notes. It's a gritty new chapter in the blockbuster saga, and its theme of taking on heroic tasks in a dauntingly scary time should resonate with today's audience. "Rogue One" boasts a multicultural cast of emerging and veteran actors that includes Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Riz Ahmed, Alan Tudyk, Mads Mikkelsen, and Ben Mendelsohn. It occurs in the "Star Wars" time line just before what happens in the original movie from 1977 and a couple of decades after the action in 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." to deliver the newspaper during his Ann Arbor youth.)ĭirected by Gareth Edwards ("Godzilla"), "Rogue One" chronicles an unlikely band of heroes who come together for the mother of all difficult missions: stealing the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's most devastating weapon. (He's quick to point out that he used to get up at 5 a.m. "If I didn’t make the appointment to pitch it, I would always wonder what would have happened if I did," says Knoll by phone during a recent interview with the Free Press. ► Related: Detroit actress-singer ready for close-up on 'Star' In the case of "Rogue One," Knoll actually came up with the idea for the story and successfully pitched it to Lucasfilm president and "Rogue One" producer Kathleen Kennedy. The film is also a first of sorts for Knoll, who has been with the George Lucas-founded company for nearly 30 years and helped shape many epics, including the "Star Wars" prequels and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. It's the first in a series of stand-alone movies set in the "Star Wars" universe, but focused on new characters and story lines. On Friday, Knoll's own work as an Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor will be on display when "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" hits theaters. I felt like I had found my people. This is really what I wanted to do.” ![]() "It’s one thing to read about these things in a magazine, but it’s another to witness them in person. “It totally changed my life," says Knoll, 54, who's now the chief creative officer at ILM. Suddenly, the kid born and raised in Ann Arbor was immersed in the world he'd only read about in serious film journals tucked inside the U-M campus libraries he'd scoured. ► Related: Metro Detroit gets into the 'Rogue One' spirit He called and said he was a model maker interested in the company's work.The next day, Knoll's dad braved rush-hour traffic to drive him to Van Nuys at about 8:30 a.m. ![]() Tagging along on a work trip to Anaheim for his dad, a University of Michigan nuclear engineering professor, he found the number for ILM in a phone book. Knoll, only 15, was a huge "Star Wars" fan at the time. A long time ago (it was 1978) in a galaxy far, far away (well, California seemed like a different world from Michigan), a teenager named John Knoll talked his way into spending a day at Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company for the sensational new film "Star Wars." ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |